Cross-posted from Washington Policy Watch:
A growing body of evidence shows that a minimum standard for paid sick days would not only improve people’s health – it would also save the nation’s bottom line.
According to a recent report published by the National Institutes of Health:
the absence of certain workplace policies, such as paid sick leave, confers a population-attributable risk of 5 million additional cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the general population and 1.2 million cases among Hispanics. Federal mandates for sick leave could have significant health impacts by reducing morbidity from ILI, especially in Hispanics.
What’s more, access to paid sick days could save up to $1 billion in medical costs every year, according to a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research(IWPR):
This includes $500 million in taxpayer-funded public health care programs for children, elders, and low-income Americans. Currently, more than 44 million American workers do not have access to paid sick days, and more are unable to use time off to take care of sick children or other family members.
Washington Work and Family Coalition 